Christmas Stockings Bulk

Christmas stockings and a Scholastic sale « children's books for ...

So I’ve been thinking about stocking fillers and the huge stocking that we finally settled on buying for Milo last year that is intended to be his stocking forever more. It’s sort of like a pillow case. I didn’t predict the recession and how tricky it is to work through one of those when you are self-employed. Plus we really don’t need to be thinking of more toys as he has grandparents and aunts and uncles that spoil him rotten and therefore he already has more toys than a child could ever want… but he’s been good and Father Christmas will be visiting.

But this year we’re likely to have an empty stocking next to the giant wrapped up box that contains a garage for his cars that I bought on offer from the ELC four months ago because I know my boy likes cars and I know I like an offer when I see one/am a little broke.

It doesn’t fit in the stocking, I’ve tried. And it’s Christmas. There has to be a bulky stocking.

Muslim month of fasting sees rise in demand for halal meat

Mehmet Gurakar, the president of McKeesport halal meat producer MRG Food LLC, has been fasting during the day for more than two weeks. But working alongside livestock and beef, veal and goat carcasses doesn't quite pique his appetite.

"We are at the beginning of the food chain," he said. "It doesn't make us very hungry."

Mr. Gurakar, who is from Turkey, is observing the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began in late July. Partaking in the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, and observant Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset during the month.

During Ramadan, demand for halal meat -- which is slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law -- is up at local grocers and producers, as members of Pittsburgh's Muslim communities look to prepare meals for the nightly break-fast meals.

Approximately 6,000 Muslims participate in local congregations in Allegheny County, according to a 2010 estimate from the Association of Religion Data Archives, though more live in the surrounding areas. Muslims form a small portion of the region's seven-county metropolitan population of 2.4 million, as counted by the U.S. Census.